The present invention relates to a lock device of a roof member of an open car.
An open car, one type of vehicle, generally comprises an open/close type of roof member which is comprised of a folding top, for example, in which an open state of the roof member stored in a storage space rearward of a vehicle compartment for opening the vehicle compartment or a close state of the roof member covering over the vehicle compartment are selectable.
Herein, a lock device is provided to surely maintain a storage state of the roof member stored in the storage space as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-232146. This lock device comprises a slide member capable of sliding longitudinally and an operational member which is configured to operationally rotate and linked with the slide member. More specifically, the slide member takes a lock position or an unlock position. In the lock position, the slide member is located at a rear position to engage with an engagement portion of the roof member in the storage state. Meanwhile, in the unlock position, the slide member is located at a front position to release its engagement with the engagement portion of the roof member. The operational member is linked with the slide member such that the slide member slides forward to the unlock position when an operational portion of the operational member which is formed forward of a rotational axis of the operational member is operated (rotated) upward. The above-described linkage in which the upward operation (rotation) of the operational member (the operational portion) is associated as an unlock state may be preferable in operating with a hand because a movement of the hand for operating (rotating) the operational member smoothly changes to another move of the hand for gaining access to the roof member.
Meanwhile, the above-described slide member and operational member are covered with a trim member almost entirely from above so that a good exterior appearance can be ensured. And the arrangement level (height) of the trim member is desired to be as low as possible in order to facilitate a rearward access from a vehicle-compartment side.
Herein, the above-descried rotational axis of the operational member needs to be located at a higher level than the slide member so that the slide member can slide forward properly with the upward operation (rotation) of the operational portion formed forward of the rotational axis. Therefore, the trim member has a limit in its lower-level arrangement.